# Ineos Grenadier
The **Ineos Grenadier** is a four-wheel-drive off-road vehicle produced by INEOS Automotive, a subsidiary of the British chemical group INEOS, since 2022. It was conceived in 2017 by INEOS founder and chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a utilitarian, ladder-framed successor in spirit to the original [Land Rover Defender](https://www.edgepedia.org/land-rover-defender), and is named after the [Grenadier](https://www.edgepedia.org/grenadier) pub in [Belgravia](https://www.edgepedia.org/belgravia), London, where the idea was first sketched.[1](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/our-story)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Conceived | 2017, at the Grenadier pub in Belgravia, London; initial sketch made on a £5 note, now stapled to the pub ceiling[1](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/our-story) |
| Production | Series production began 18 October 2022 at Hambach, France; first customer deliveries in December 2022[2](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/news-articles/ineos-automotive-begins-production-of-grenadier-4x4.html) |
| Powertrain | BMW 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six petrol (B58) or diesel (B57), ZF eight-speed automatic, permanent four-wheel drive with two-speed transfer case[3](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html) |
| Chassis | Full box-sectioned ladder frame, Carraro solid beam axles front and rear, five-link coil-spring suspension, three locking differentials[3](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html) • [4](https://www.autoblog.com/reviews/ineos-grenadier-first-drive-review) |
| Off-road figures | Ground clearance 264 mm; approach angle 35.5°, breakover 28.2°, departure angle 36.1°; wading depth 800 mm[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3lEicZcHGM) |
| Output (US petrol) | 281 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque; 0–60 mph in 8.8 seconds; curb weight 6,133 lb[6](https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2024-ineos-grenadier-track-tested-video.html) |
| Body styles | Station Wagon, Utility Wagon (two- or five-seat commercial variant), and Quartermaster double-cab pick-up[3](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html) |
| 2026 price | From £62,695 (station wagon, UK)[7](https://www.wallpaper.com/transportation/ineos-grenadier-4x4-2026-review) |
## Origin
In 2017, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a chemical-industry billionaire and lifelong 4x4 enthusiast, identified a gap in the market for a stripped-back, hard-working 4x4 engineered for modern compliance and reliability, after the original Land Rover Defender left production and its successor moved to a unibody platform with far greater electronic complexity. The idea took shape with friends at the Grenadier pub in Belgravia, and Ratcliffe scribbled the first concept on a £5 note; the project was initially called "Projekt Grenadier" after the pub.[1](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/our-story) • [8](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/corporate/sir-jim-ratcliffe.html) • [9](https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/ineos-group/home/ineos-supplement-icis-sept-2017.pdf)
Ratcliffe set three non-negotiables for the vehicle: functional design, serious durability, and extreme off-road capability. INEOS Automotive Limited was formed to carry the project, and the company engaged [Magna Steyr](https://www.edgepedia.org/magna-steyr), the Austrian vehicle-engineering specialist, to develop the design, with BMW appointed a year later to supply its TwinPower Turbo petrol and diesel engines.[1](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/our-story)
## Engineering and design
The Grenadier is built on a full box-sectioned ladder frame, the configuration used by rugged off-roaders for roughly the previous 70 years, chosen for strength and for ease of mounting heavy equipment such as winches. Italian axle specialist [Carraro](https://www.edgepedia.org/carraro) supplied solid beam axles front and rear, and Magna engineers developed a five-link suspension with separate coil springs and heavy-duty dampers for maximum traction and articulation.[10](https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/ineos-group/company/about/year-in-review/sc7_ineos_2021_20pp_final_low_res.pdf)
Power comes from BMW's 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six, in petrol (B58) or diesel (B57) form depending on market, extensively recalibrated by INEOS to deliver more torque at low revs. It drives through a ZF eight-speed automatic with manual override, an INEOS-designed two-speed transfer case built by Tremec, permanent four-wheel drive, and up to three locking differentials. The body is galvanised steel over the frame, and the body panels carry an official IP54K dust- and water-ingress rating for critical cabin components.[3](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html) • [4](https://www.autoblog.com/reviews/ineos-grenadier-first-drive-review)
The vehicle deliberately uses components the mass market has abandoned. Its recirculating-ball steering, with hydraulic power, is necessitated by the live front axle; the design does not transmit impacts from the front axle to the steering wheel when crawling over rocks, but it is slow, lacks self-centering, and gives a vague on-center feel on pavement.[4](https://www.autoblog.com/reviews/ineos-grenadier-first-drive-review) • [11](https://www.tacticengineering.com/blogs/news/the-ineos-grenadier-the-overlanding-guide-nobody-wrote-yet) • [6](https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2024-ineos-grenadier-track-tested-video.html) [Electronics](https://www.edgepedia.org/electronics) are kept deliberately minimal: where the new Land Rover Defender uses more than 100 electronic control modules, the Grenadier has 35.[6](https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2024-ineos-grenadier-track-tested-video.html)
## Production at Hambach
INEOS Automotive acquired the former [Mercedes-Benz](https://www.edgepedia.org/mercedes-benz) plant at Hambach, France, in early 2021 and has since invested over €700 million in the 210,000 m² facility, adding a new semi-automated paintshop, a fully automated bodyshop, and a quality center. The workforce of about 1,300 received extensive training, and 500 prototypes were built across three production try-out phases to validate the supply chain, assembly, and quality control before series production began on 18 October 2022.[12](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/corporate/hambach-production.html) • [2](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/news-articles/ineos-automotive-begins-production-of-grenadier-4x4.html)
The first markets were the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with the United States following in the fourth quarter of 2023.[13](https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/sc10_ineos_2023_28pp_v9-1.pdf)
## Model range
The Grenadier line comprises the five-seat Station Wagon, the Utility Wagon (a certified commercial vehicle available with two or five seats), and the [Quartermaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/quartermaster) double-cab pick-up. The two-seat Utility Wagon offers a full-length flat floor with over 2,000 liters of loadspace, takes a standard 1,200 mm x 800 mm Euro pallet, and tows up to 3.5 tonnes.[3](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html) • [14](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/gb/utility-wagon)
Trim structure follows a "Y": a Base specification plus two Belstaff-inspired editions. The Trialmaster Edition, named for the 1948 Belstaff motorcycle jacket made for trials rider Sammy Miller, is specified for extreme off-roading with 17-inch wheels, safari windows, an access ladder, and a compass with altimeter. The Fieldmaster Edition is aimed at adventurous owners, and a premium Black Edition based on the Fieldmaster joined the line-up for 2026.[3](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html) • [15](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/news-articles/2026-ineos-grenadier-is-the-most-accomplished-yet%3B-adds-new-premium-spec-black-edition-to-line-up.html)
## On-road behavior and the 2026 updates
Reviewers consistently describe the Grenadier as capable off-road but compromised on tarmac. Edmunds recorded 0–60 mph in 8.8 seconds, a 152-foot braking distance from 60 mph that worsened over repeated runs, and 0.61 g of skidpad grip, figures weighed down by a 6,133-pound curb weight and aggressive all-terrain tires.[6](https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2024-ineos-grenadier-track-tested-video.html) [The Irish Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-irish-times) found long-distance cruising painless aside from 13.0 liters per 100 km fuel economy, but noted the steering's lack of self-centering.[16](https://www.irishtimes.com/motors/review/2024/01/31/ineos-grenadier-road-test-pure-natural-off-road-but-is-it-a-serious-land-rover-rival/)
**Model year 2026** brought the most significant changes since launch. A new steering box with a variable ratio for the first time makes the first 45 degrees of lock faster, improving precision and high-speed confidence while keeping the original slow ratio at full lock for off-road work; extended steering stops cut the turning circle by around five percent. The 2026 models also received upgraded climate-control components, ADAS updates to meet new regulations including a one-touch deactivation of the Intelligent Speed Assist alert, and, for the first time, a carpeted interior in place of utility rubber and plastic.[15](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/news-articles/2026-ineos-grenadier-is-the-most-accomplished-yet%3B-adds-new-premium-spec-black-edition-to-line-up.html) • [7](https://www.wallpaper.com/transportation/ineos-grenadier-4x4-2026-review)
## Recalls
In March 2025, INEOS Automotive Americas recalled 7,022 model-year 2024 Grenadier station wagons in the United States under NHTSA recall 25V-147, covering vehicles produced between 6 July 2023 and 19 April 2024, because exterior door button mechanisms may not have been assembled properly, allowing doors to fail to latch and potentially open while driving. [Transport Canada](https://www.edgepedia.org/transport-canada) issued the corresponding recall 2025120 for the 2024 Grenadier.[17](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V147-3786.PDF) • [18](https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/transport-canada-recall-2025120-ineos-automotive-canada-limited)
## References
1. [The Grenadier Story & Heritage, INEOS Grenadier US](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/our-story)
2. [INEOS Automotive Begins Production of Grenadier 4x4, INEOS Automotive Media](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/news-articles/ineos-automotive-begins-production-of-grenadier-4x4.html)
3. [Grenadier Utility Wagon press kit, INEOS Automotive Media](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/vehicles/current-range/grenadier-utility-wagon.html)
4. [Ineos Grenadier First Drive Review, Autoblog](https://www.autoblog.com/reviews/ineos-grenadier-first-drive-review)
5. [review:2024 ineos grenadier | this or defender? - youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3lEicZcHGM)
6. [2024 Ineos Grenadier Tested, Edmunds](https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2024-ineos-grenadier-track-tested-video.html)
7. [The mighty Ineos Grenadier is in its element in the Icelandic wilderness, Wallpaper*](https://www.wallpaper.com/transportation/ineos-grenadier-4x4-2026-review)
8. [Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS Automotive Media](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/corporate/sir-jim-ratcliffe.html)
9. [INEOS Manufacturing supplement, INEOS Group (2017)](https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/ineos-group/home/ineos-supplement-icis-sept-2017.pdf)
10. [A grey rounded box, INEOS Year in Review 2021](https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/ineos-group/company/about/year-in-review/sc7_ineos_2021_20pp_final_low_res.pdf)
11. [The Ineos Grenadier: The Overlanding Guide Nobody Wrote Yet, Tactic Engineering](https://www.tacticengineering.com/blogs/news/the-ineos-grenadier-the-overlanding-guide-nobody-wrote-yet)
12. [Hambach Production, INEOS Automotive Media](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/corporate/hambach-production.html)
13. [INEOS 2022 Review, INEOS Group](https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/sc10_ineos_2023_28pp_v9-1.pdf)
14. [INEOS Grenadier Utility Wagon, INEOS Grenadier GB](https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/gb/utility-wagon)
15. [2026 INEOS Grenadier is the most accomplished yet; adds new premium-spec Black Edition, INEOS Automotive Media](https://media.ineosgrenadier.com/en/news-articles/2026-ineos-grenadier-is-the-most-accomplished-yet%3B-adds-new-premium-spec-black-edition-to-line-up.html)
16. [Ineos Grenadier road test, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/motors/review/2024/01/31/ineos-grenadier-road-test-pure-natural-off-road-but-is-it-a-serious-land-rover-rival/)
17. [Part 573 Safety Recall Report 25V-147, NHTSA](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V147-3786.PDF)
18. [Transport Canada Recall 2025120, INEOS Automotive Canada Limited](https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/transport-canada-recall-2025120-ineos-automotive-canada-limited)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › British automobile models › SUVs and off-road models*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license